Endorsement: Jonathan Wu for YCC Treasurer

As the newly minted catchphrase of the 2008 Yale campaign season goes, “Yes Wu Can.”

We support Jonathan Wu ’11 for his positive energy, competence and initiative. As a freshman, Wu has already accomplished much: He has served both as a YCC representative and as FCC chair. While his experience speaks for itself, Wu represents much more than the positions he has held.

He appears above all dedicated to the idea that Yale students should retain significant input over the YCC budget; this ideal touches on his vision for more transparency in the role. (He wants, for example, the YCC budget to be public.)

Second, his experience working on many project committees — 22, to be exact — of the YCC and the FCC, on topics ranging from Eli Days to gender-neutral housing, gives him a broad-ranging perspective from which he can draw his own conclusions regarding the special-needs areas on campus. Further, he is currently attempting to pass a “Free Notebook and Planner” proposal that he devised based on his own perception of the detrimental rise in the costs of education materials.

Wu distinguishes himself by continually pushing the boundaries, enacting change and doing so without prompting from outside. A self-starter, Wu possesses a certain enthusiasm that will motivate others and set the bar high. His expansive list of responsibilities, which have kept him busy from project to project on both councils, has brought him into contact with various administrators and organizations that, together, give him a scope wide enough to incorporate big-picture ideas into his quest toward a more personable and individualized YCC.

Still, the ideas of Wu’s charismatic and thoughtful counterpart in the race, Will Alexander ’10, should not be belittled. His suggestion for a Student Activities Fee survey and a revamped YCC e-mail system, for example, make enormous sense and should be implemented next year.

In the end, Wu’s promise in this election is most compelling. His history on both councils demonstrates that he is not only capable of producing results but is willing always to challenge himself to improve.